Running the Blade's Edge
by Skyblaze
Summary: Sonic returns from Camelot, but he doesn't come back alone. Something else came back - and it threatens all Sonic holds dear... Now a Knight of the Round Table, the Ultimate Lifeform and the Hero of Mobius must face the secret of Camelot together
1. Chapter 1

**Running the Blade's Edge**

A foot clad in cherry-red sneakers swung in a powerful kick towards the robot, punching a large hole in the metal plating of the torso. The owner of the foot leapt back as the heavily damaged bot emitted a loud whine, then exploded into a shower of metal fragments. Sonic looked around the field, surveying the array of broken bots with satisfaction. He dusted off his hands, turning around as he did so to smile at the small Mobian he had been protecting.

"S'ok now," he said warmly, "It's all taken care of."

Cream uncurled slowly from where she had been hiding behind a rock, her eyes large with fright, "Are you sure they're all gone now, Mr. Sonic?" she asked anxiously, long ears lifting themselves as if to detect any noises of possible leftover attackers.

Sonic smiled and held out his left hand, "Of course I am, I promised I'd protect you, right?"

Cream took his hand, smiling gratefully up at him. Sonic grinned back, but then glanced over to the only other person standing near them - a much older rabbit with grey fur and strangely sad eyes. A metal plate with a short chain dangling from it seemed to be riveted to his thick leather jacket, but Sonic knew the plate was fastened far deeper than that. The hedgehog and rabbit exchanged a long look, and at last the rabbit smiled.

"Thanks for looking after my little girl," the older rabbit said softly.

Sonic nodded in acknowledgement. Cream didn't react - but of course, she couldn't hear the other rabbit. Or see him, or touch him. To her, he was as invisible and insubstantial as air. When he had been alive, his name had been Johnny Lightfoot. Sonic had never really known him all that well, since he had died in the flooding of Station Square a few years ago - a fact that caused Sonic periodic twinges of guilt that he tried his best to suppress.

_Never look back...but look after those who need you now. _

Sonic glanced between them both, suppressing the urge to sigh. He had promised to care for Cream as a favour to the shade of her father... a favour to a ghost only he could see. It was no wonder the others thought he was going nuts.

From far in the distance came the sound of an unearthly, echoing roar. A shiver ran down his body at the sound, his right hand suddenly feeling strangely empty.

"Is something wrong, Mr. Sonic?" Cream asked, looking up at him in concern. Sonic felt his unease grow as he realised the little rabbit hadn't heard that cry at all... and considering how sensitive a young rabbit's hearing was, that meant only one thing.

"It's nothin', Cream, but we better get ya home before your Mom misses ya," he said, trying to sound as cheerful and as unconcerned as he had only a moment ago. "How 'bout a ride on the hedgehog express?" he asked with a wink.

Large chocolate eyes blinked up at him. "With the...do you mean with you?" the little rabbit asked, her voice wavering a bit between nervousness but also excitement as the bunny seemed to be torn between whether it would be safe and more importantly, _polite_, to be blasting through the meadows of Blue Coast Zone at hell-raising speeds, and whether it wouldn't be also incredibly _fun_.

"Sure, I used to carry Tails all the time when he was your size," Sonic reassured her, holding out his arms invitingly (a piggyback ride was out for obvious reasons). "That way we'll be at your mom's in a jiffy," he added - conveniently leaving out how Tails had also _thrown up_ the first few times Sonic had carried him, but then again, the hero of Mobius wasn't planning to break the sound barrier while he was holding Cream. He just really wanted to be away from this place now.

"O-okay," the little rabbit smiled, and, with the agility that was the trademark of her species leapt up into his arms. Thin brown limbs locked around Sonic's neck and finally, Johnny's daughter gave Sonic a determined look and a brave smile that reminded the hedgehog again way too much of a certain fox cub not too long ago. "I'm ready, Mr Sonic."

"Awesome. Three, two, one – up over and gone!" Sonic called out, dashing off at last, away from that roar that was giving him the collywobbles.

The fields and swashing palm trees flashed past as he ran, but even at this speed, he could feel it still on their tail, sniffing them out like some sort of otherworldly bloodhound. For one of the few times in Sonic's life, running didn't seem to be accomplishing anything.

He stopped on one of the higher hills, overlooking the rest of the zone and the sea that glittered like a million sapphire jewels beyond. Carefully, he set Cream down again, and told her to hide.

The young rabbit looked up at him, guileless brown eyes full of fear, "Is something still after us, Mr. Sonic?" she asked, one small hand tugging at her ears in distress again.

"Yeah," Sonic answered truthfully, "But don't worry, I'll take care of it." he smiled, filling his expression with every ounce of the unthinking and cocky bravado he was known for. Luckily, Cream's youthful eyes still accepted what she saw at face value, so she just hugged him briefly and obediently went to hide, another skill rabbits luckily had an innate knack for.

Sonic braced himself, even as Johnny materialised beside him.

"Any idea what it is?" Sonic asked in a low, tense voice, hoping for a clue - any clue - to how to fight it.

Johnny just looked at him, his semi-transparent face wearing an indecipherable expression, "All I know," the rabbit began, "Is that it's hungry - beyond hungry... _ravenous_."

"Oh well, that's good news - hedgehogs are tricky to eat, at least," Sonic joked.

Johnny didn't reply.

The unearthly roar shattered the air again, making Sonic press his ears to his head in pain. Something large was tromping up the hill, the ground shaking with its every ponderous step. As its head appeared over the crest of the hill, Sonic couldn't help but recoil.

The thing looked vaguely bat-like, tattered leathery wings trailing from its back, long limbs that ended in short but lethally sharp claws. Its torso was covered in a coat of patchy black fur, apart from a section near the centre of its chest, which was just a gaping hole, perfectly round as though someone had just punched a hole straight through its chest.

It was the head that truly horrified him, though. A mask of bleached white bone covered its face, soulless yellow eyes burned sulphurously behind the eye sockets, staring hungrily at the hedgehog who glared defiantly back, his hand suddenly groping for a sword that wasn't there.

Then the teeth of the mask split apart as it opened its mouth for another roar and Sonic saw to his horror that another set of teeth lay behind the mask, but beyond that there was nothing but black emptiness.

Sonic dropped into a ready stance, a smile touching his face as adrenaline started to race through his veins.

"Hey ugly, the auditions for Frankenstein's Monster are _next_ week. Maybe if you come back later, I'll put in a good word for ya – not that you probably wouldn't just eat the casting agent, but-!"

The creature just howled and swiped at him, razor sharp claws slicing through the grass where Sonic had been only an instant before.

"Not bad, but not quite good enough there, bonehead," Sonic taunted, muscles coiled like springs as he waited for the best moment to attack. The monster charged, its double jaws opened wide as if to devour Sonic whole.

The hero of Mobius leapt, curling up into a tight ball and shooting straight towards the back of the monster's head. He struck with terrific force, the impact jarring every bone in his body. He rebounded away at a strange angle, landing poorly. Not able to pause, the blue hedgehog immediately got back to his feet and span around to face the monster again, hoping to assess the impact of his attack.

There wasn't one. Not even so much as a scratch had appeared on the creature's head.

Sonic's mouth opened for a second in something akin to shock, but then the skull-like mask swung towards him again as it prepared another charge.

Sonic shook off the panic that was clawing at his brain, nimbly dodging another attack from the monster. His mind was racing through ideas and possibilities, trying to find a solution. It was times like these a Chaos Emerald would have come in handy...

Diving into another spin-dash, he aimed lower this time, going for the things' knees, hoping that it had at least some of the same vulnerabilities as normal creatures.

Unfortunately, his attack just bounced off it again, succeeding in doing little more than making the thing even angrier.

Sonic had to swallow and back off as the monster closed in on him, the yellow eyes burning with anticipation as it tasted triumph.

"Be careful, Mr Sonic!" A piping female voice came from behind him. Sonic looked over his shoulder and realised with sudden panic that Cream was right behind him as the fight had drawn close to her hiding place. The creature now stood in front, one bat-like arm raised as it prepared to strike a final blow, claws glinting menacingly in the light.

Sonic reacted without thinking.

Before the arm had even made it half the distance, he had already grabbed the young rabbit and cradled her close against his chest, turning and half-curling to present the best-defended part of his body to his attacker, bracing himself for the blow that was sure to come.

"CHAOS SPEAR!"

Sonic looked up to see a blast of golden energy suddenly incinerate the claw that had been bearing down upon him.

"How unlike you Faker; cowering in the face of danger." A smooth, low voice asked mockingly.

Sonic looked up, "Shadow!"

"Hmph," Shadow grunted dismissively, "Stand back, hedgehog. I'll handle this."

Sonic frowned, but gripped Cream tightly and drew her away from the battle zone. As much as it irked him that the black hedgehog had just had to save him and after that add insult to prevented injury, the little rabbit's safety at this moment was more important to him than stung pride. Shadow was now squaring up against the monster, darting in and out of the creature's reach, his fists glowing with Chaos power that burned every time they struck. His strategy worked much better than Sonic's had, eventually forcing the thing to start backing off, howling in pain.

"What is that thing, Shadow?" Sonic called when he was sure Shadow had the monster on the back foot, at the same time still holding onto the terrified Cream, who clung to him like a limpet.

"I have no idea," the black hedgehog replied absently, launching another burst of power right into the monster's eyes as if this was everyday business, making it shriek and recoil, flailing blindly with its spindly arms and carving great furrows in the soft earth. "All I know is that they can _die_."

Sonic watched in fascination as Shadow backflipped, dodging another blind swing with practised, easy grace. Standing right in front of the monster, he powered up another chaos spear, preparing to fling its destructive power right into his enemy, Emerald flames crackling around his hand as he stood toe-to-toe with this unnatural creature.

The Ultimate Lifeform's lips curled into a cruel smirk. Maybe he'd try to strike that monster right into its non-existent heart.

But it was at that point that suddenly, all the breath was knocked out of his lungs, the power he had been gathering abruptly snuffed out. Before Shadow could even cry out, he was pushed aside without warning just as the creature made another wild, clumsy swing towards him.

And at the same time, a voice rang loud across the hillside. "_Run wild, Arondight!_"

The sharp sound of metal against bone echoed in the air for only a moment, accompanied by a blinding flash that Cream had to shield her eyes from. And then the monster stood there unmoving, before it began to dissolve, fading away into dust as it crumbled away from the cut that had suddenly cleaved it in two.

Shadow had been the first to recover from the shock as the dust cleared, and he used his gathered wits to narrow his eyes into a scathing glare, feeling both frustrated and irritated that he had been robbed of an easy and legitimate victory and searching for the culprit that had stopped his fight short. But as the last remnants of the monster dissolved, he suddenly realised that his angry gaze was being met by eyes as fierce and burning ember red as his own.

Next, those eyes also widened ever so subtly as Shadow slowly grew aware that the other Sapient who had interrupted his battle shared more than just _one_ feature with him – the other was a hedgehog as well, and he looked identical to the Ultimate Lifeform in every single detail.

Instantly, the Ultimate Lifeform's muscles tensed as his mind flashed to the thought of all those android copies of him the Doctor had built not so long ago... but no, there was none of the blank emptiness of a programmed mind in this gaze. Instead, there was intelligence, purpose, determination and a flicker of something ancient and deadly that burned behind those otherwise so familiar ruby eyes. _Who...?_

Shadow blinked, his anger cooling into confusion as his apparent doppelganger turned to face Sonic next, completely ignoring him. As his did so, Shadow also realised that his double was wearing armour - actual metal plates like knights in old stories and movies like 'Excalibur' and 'A Knight's Tale' that he had once watched with Maria so long ago.

The knight - if that was what he was – inclined his head, sticking the broad-bladed sword he carried into the earth and clasped his hands over the pommel, dropping to one knee.

"Your Majesty," he said in a profoundly formal tone.

Sonic winced and then sighed, his eyes briefly flickering towards Shadow, whose jaw was currently hanging open in raw astonishment, and also down to Cream, who for once was wearing the exact same expression as the black hedgehog.

"Hi there, Lancelot," Sonic said somewhat sheepishly, "Good to see you again."

Before the knight at Sonic's feet could reply, Shadow interrupted.

"What the hell is going on?" Shadow demanded, glaring at Sonic and the knight that Sonic had addressed as 'Lancelot' - a name he recognised from old stories.

"Shadow, this is Lancelot. Lancelot this is Shadow, I'm sure you two will get on just great," A slight edge of sarcasm touched the blue speedster's words, though his expression remained deceptively cheerful, "C'mon, Shadow, I explained this, remember? I met Lancelot in Camelot, I even said he looked like you!"

Shadow rolled his eyes, "You are making two critical errors, faker. The first is to think I listen to anything you say when you are prattling on, the second is to think that anyone believed that nonsense."

Sonic glanced down at Lancelot, then looked back at Shadow with a slightly smug expression, "Doesn't look like nonsense now, huh?"

Lancelot, still kneeling on the ground, looked between them with a baffled expression. Cream just blinked, her expression just as confused.

"My Lord," Lancelot said somewhat hesitantly, "Is something wrong with your comrade?"

"Huh? Oh, no Lancelot. Believe it or not, he's always like this," He replied, ignoring the indignant grunt from Shadow. Sonic glanced down, noticing that the knight was still on his knees, "And get up, dude, no need for you to be down on the ground like that."

"As you wish, My lord." Lancelot replied, getting up and sliding his curved sword back into its sheath.

"Why the hell," Shadow ground out through clenched teeth, glaring fiercely at Sonic "does he keep calling you that?"

Lancelot glanced at him, "Why? Because he is the King of Camelot, The High King returned, the savour of our world."

Shadow just stared for a moment, before he threw back his head and laughed.

Lancelot's eyes blazed in sudden rage, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword, "Are you perchance offering an impertinence to my king?" Lancelot asked in a deadly quiet voice, "If so, then though you surely do share my visage, you do not share my sense of courtesy. Be silent, or I will prove your folly upon your fallen corpse."

The laughter stopped, the sudden silence almost oppressive as the two black hedgehogs glared at one another, "If that was a challenge, then it is one you will regret offering."

"Is talking all you are capable of? Do you lack courage as well as courtesy?" Lancelot taunted, loosening his sword in its sheath.

Shadow snarled in fury, dropping into a fighting stance, the air crackling as chaos power built up around him, one hand tensed to throw a chaos spear...

"Guys, that's enough!" Sonic yelled, jumping between them, "Geez, will you both chill out?"

Shadow and Lancelot looked at him, then glared at each other before Lancelot reluctantly sheathed his sword once again. Shadow growled low in his throat, but finally backed down, the Chaos energy he had gathered slowly dissipating.

Sonic, realising that the two dark hedgehogs were not in immediate danger of killing each other, turned to Lancelot. "So, Lancelot, what are ya doing here? I thought the Knights were meant to stay in Camelot?"

Lancelot nodded still casting warning glares at Shadow, "Indeed that is so, my king, but a dangerous situation has arisen, and the Round Table felt it best-"

Whatever Lancelot was going to say was interrupted by another unearthly roar. Lancelot whirled, his sword whipping from its scabbard once again, his eyes scanning the horizon.

"I thought we killed that thing." Shadow growled as he also dropped into a fighting stance, power gathering in his body again.

"True," Lancelot said, his voice tense, "But that is why I am here - there are more of them."

"More?" Sonic asked, startled, "How many more?"

Lancelot's ruby gaze sought out Sonic's eyes, "A great many, sire. We must flee, this is no place to make a stand against them."

Sonic's eyes widened as he realised the implications in Lancelot's softly spoken words, then he turned to see Cream still standing there, her eyes wide and terrified. Johnny hovered behind her, his arms poised as if he desperately wanted to hug his daughter.

"But..." Sonic began, "Cream and..." he gestured helplessly towards the young rabbit and the ghost, unsure if Lancelot or Shadow could even see them.

Lancelot followed Sonic's gaze, "Fear not, my lord. We will get the child somewhere safe, and when we have leisure I will perform a soul burial for your friend, then we can prepare for battle."

Sonic leaned down to hug the frightened Cream, who was so scared by now that tears were leaking from her eyes, "But those monsters were after Johnny and Cream, I promised I'd protect her..."

Lancelot stepped towards Sonic, placing a comforting hand on Sonic's shoulder, "My lord, the monsters of which you spoke are named Hollows. And they are not seeking to devour your friends. They have a different target in what passes for their minds."

Sonic met Lancelot's eyes, "What are they after?"

Lancelot's expression was very grave when he answered, "You, my lord. They are seeking you."

_To Be Continued...?_

Author's note_: I haven't listed this as a crossover because it isn't one, since it won't feature any of the cast, just a few concepts and ideas taken from a Certain Popular Anime Series. I'm sure many of you know which series I mean._

_Oh, and I blame Taranea and Greyfore for this, but then, I usually do. *g*_


	2. Chapter 2

**Running the Blade's Edge**

Chapter Two

They had fled. Sonic was carrying the terrified Cream securely in his arms, the young rabbit's small fingers digging into his chest with surprising strength as the scenery whipped past. He could sense Shadow skating to his left, the _swish-swish _of his the black hedgehog's jet shoes almost a comfort. He had heard it many times besides him, on many adventures, and they had almost always ended well. On his other side was Lancelot, keeping pace with him just as easily as Shadow, despite the encumbrance of his armour. The sinking sun was glinting off it now, letting it appear as red as if the monster's blood had spilt on it.

Shadow, however, seemed to ignore the armour, instead rather glancing down and raising an eye ridge.

"I wasn't aware that medieval metalsmithing techniques included the ability to make jet shoes."

"Nay," Lancelot replied, airily overlooking the snarkiness in the other's tone, "These boots were enchanted with my Mother's magic to enhance my swiftness."

"Your _mother_?" Shadow exclaimed, his voice going hoarse at a word that seemed too unfamiliar out of the mouth of the artificially created Ultimate Lifeform.

"Yes, Nimue, Lady of the Lake, greatest sorceress in all of Camelot," Lancelot replied earnestly, and with a certain measure of pride, that reminded Sonic with a twinge in his heart only too well of Shadow's tones, whenever the other had spoken of _his _family, the Robotniks, always the greatest minds of their time.

Now, though, the black hedgehog seemed uncannily shocked speechless by the matter-of-fact tone for a second before he regained his composure again.

"Magic. Right, of course."

Lancelot smirked at Shadow and to Sonic the modern hedgehog seemed ready to punch the knight for a second. Since they were already being chased by evil creatures from who-knows-where, however, this didn't seem like a good time to start fighting amongst themselves, and this also was probably clear to Shadow and he only clenched his teeth until Sonic feared like they were about to crack.

The air was still rushing past them as Sonic, acutely aware of the tension and trying to bring the situation under control, if only for Cream's sake, glanced at Lancelot, "So what is going on, Lancelot? You said they were hunting me, why?" he said, partially to defuse the hostility, partially because he was genuinely curious. After all, things trying to kill him were a daily occurrence, but not creatures like this.

Lancelot looked uncomfortable for a moment, though his pace did not falter.

"When you were sent back, my lord, there were... unforeseen consequences."

"Merlina didn't go nuts again, did she?"

"Nay, my lord, but the spell she used was untried. Is it the result of this that means the Hollows are being driven to seek you out. You are unlike any soul that has existed in this realm before, it is the power in that soul that they seek."

Sonic frowned, "Huh? What's different about me, exactly?"

"You mean apart from your apparently infinite ability to cause annoyance and aggravation in everyone you meet?" Shadow muttered not-quite-under-his-breath.

"Speak for yourself, Shads," Sonic retorted, "Everybody else gets on just great with me, - well, except maybe Knuckles, but he's grumpy with everyone - maybe its just _your_ skin I get under," the blue speedster shot back with a cocky grin and a glint in his eye that to Shadow seemed entirely too amused.

The Ultimate Lifeform's eyes narrowed as he attempted to make a witty comeback, but his chain of thought was interrupted when Sonic sharply announced, "We're here!"

Shadow turned and slid to a stop along side the other two hedgehogs just outside a cosy-looking cottage on the outskirts of Emerald Hill. Sonic gently set Cream down, and the usually so polite young bunny was obviously frightened enough to be barely able to stammer a thank-you to her rescuer, instead just making a straight dash to the door with a cry for her mother, much like a rabbit running for its life to its burrow. The door opened just as Cream got there, and out stepped another female rabbit, although this one was considerable taller and older.

"Cream?" she said, stooping down to lift the distraught girl into her arms.

"Mommy!" Cream clung to her mother, no longer crying, but shivering in fright. The older rabbit immediately made soothing noises and gathered her daughter up in her arms, even if obviously not understanding what was going on. With both of them together, one could see Cream was the spitting image of her mother, their faces with cream fur, white muzzles and dark brown rings around their chocolate eyes near identical, except for the long light brown hair that spilled down the older's back. Cream's mother was wearing a lilac- and rose-coloured fitted dress that let her appear considerably more grown-up than Cream's orange child-like outfit, underlining her maternal status as she cradled her child protectively, at first not even noticing Sonic and his small troupe. When she did look up it was with a bit of surprise to see the blue hero standing there, but her eyes widened even more as she spotted Shadow; past experience had taught her that whenever Sonic and Shadow were working together, bad things were on their way.

"Sonic?" she asked. "Please tell me what's going on." Her tone was polite, but her large brown eyes spoke eloquently of how troubled and worried she really was.

Sonic shook his head, "Not got much time to explain, Mrs. Lightfoot," he said apologetically, "Some trouble is going down. I kept Cream safe as best I could, sorry she got scared."

The older rabbit closed her eyes for a second, seeming to process this information. She breathed deeply and opened them again, though her grip on her daughter had tightened somewhat. "...I see. Then whatever this danger is, you plan to lead it away from Emerald Hill, and set yourself up as a target."

Sonic shrugged, nonchalant. "That's pretty much the size of it, yeah," he said, now not able to resist giving at least a small grin.

Cream's mother nodded. "Then please be careful. I can guess there's far more to this than you can tell me now, but rest assured, I want a full explanation from you later." Her calm, polite tones hardened on those last words, her eyes boring into Sonic with surprising sharpness. The blue hedgehog could only nod stiffly with a muttered affirmative. Mrs. Lightfoot nodded sharply, then gathered up her daughter against her chest and carried her inside, though not without shooting a last, somewhat uneasy glance back at the other two hedgehogs standing behind the hero of Mobius; for all she knew one of them had once tried to blow up the world and later tried to kill everyone, while the other one looked like going to a cosplay convention.

"Geez, I can't believe she used her 'Mom' voice on me." Sonic muttered as the door fell into the frame rather harder than necessary, but then shook himself sharply.

"We better get moving, huh?"

"A moment, my liege," Lancelot interrupted, turning towards where Johnny currently was, his semi-transparent body leaning close to the window, a look of hopeless yearning on his face as he gazed as his wife and daughter inside. "I must attend to your friend." Lancelot said softly.

"Huh?" Sonic said blankly. Shadow watched impassively, taking in everything, but Sonic couldn't tell what he was actually seeing.

Lancelot gestured to Johnny, "He has lingered here in this realm too long, I must perform a soul burial so he may go on to his rest."

All Sonic could do was stare, not entirely understanding what Lancelot was proposing to do, but gave a slight nod anyway.

"You can exorcise ghosts?" Shadow asked with mild interest, his first words since their last dispute.

"Not precisely," Lancelot replied stiffly, still wary of his doppelganger, "I merely cleanse their spirit, enable them to pass over to Avalon."

Sonic seemed to have missed part of the conversation and was staring at Shadow in shock, "You... you can _see_ him?" Sonic spluttered.

Shadow merely cocked an eyebrow, "Of course." he said matter-of-factly, the sheer aloofness of his already nearly already enough for Sonic to wish he hadn't stopped Lancelot earlier from trying to poke sharp objects into his black double. To top it off, a sly grin then crossed Shadow's face.

"I thought you would have realised by now, Faker - anything you can do, I can do better."

"What is it you're planning to do to me?" Johnny said, nervously, his eyes fixed on Lancelot, not even noticing the very unceremonious bickering in the background.

"You will not be harmed," Lancelot reassured him, his eyes and voice steady, "I will merely cleanse your soul and make you ready for your next journey. There will be peace and calm, and you can await the coming of your family, and seek out those gone before you."

"Can't I stay here? I... I wanna see my little baby grow up..." Johnny said, wringing his insubstantial hands, his faint voice almost breaking, like any father who knew he was about to lose his child.

Lancelot shook his head regretfully. "Nay, friend. It is dangerous for a soul to remain too long on this plane. The soul becomes eaten up by its loss and lack of life." The knight paused and gave the rabbit a sympathetic look, his dark red eyes filled with compassion, but nevertheless determination. "Do you see the chain attached to your chest?"

Johnny looked down, "Yeah..."

"The longer you remain, the shorter that chain becomes, the more you lose your connection with your previous life, until you are consumed by the pain and resentment of what the living have and you do not. If you pass on, you will be free - another world awaits you there."

There was a moment of silence after those words, and if Sonic had looked into Johnny's eyes at this moment, he knew he probably would have seen his own reflection if someone had told him he would never be able to see Tails again. But Lancelot had said no parting lasted forever...

The wind suddenly picked up again, and with that, and one last, longing glance at the window, Johnny sighed and nodded.

"All right," The grey rabbit agreed at last. "What do I need to do?"

Lancelot drew his sword and Sonic wasn't sure whether it was just sudden the cold wind, indicator of a storm later this night, or the sound of Lancelot's blade being drawn from its sheath that sent a shiver down his spine. Shadow, of course, merely looked on impassively, but there was also a glint of curiosity in his red eyes...

"Merely kneel and relax," the Knight informed Cream's father softly. "You may close your eyes if you wish, but know that I shall not harm you."

"Ok...kay..." Johnny said uncertainly, settling his lanky frame into a kneeling pose. Lancelot stepped in front of him, holding the broad flat of his blade across his right hand, his left loosely gripping the hilt. He reached out and gently pressed the Celtic knot symbol etched into the metal against Johnny's forehead. Nothing happened for a moment, but then, Sonic and Shadow could only watch in amazement as Johnny's form was suddenly surrounded by a white glow, the rabbit's dark eyes widening as if in shock, only for a moment, as if he had seen something neither of the hedgehogs could. The light faded as quickly as it had come, almost taking the last daylight with it, and Sonic could see that Johnny's form had also begun to grow weaker, the tips of his ears and the hems of his clothing almost completely vanished. But his face had now relaxed, a peaceful smile for the first time replacing the almost constant nervous expression he had been wearing ever since Sonic had first seen him one night when the spectre had caused the blue hero almost a heart attack. Johnny turned toward him now, his lips mouthing words no longer audible, but Sonic didn't need to hear the _Thank you_ to smile back at his strange friend, and give him one last thumbs-up as he departed on a journey the fastest thing alive for once could not tag along. Almost like a Cheshire cat, it was with the last rays of sun and his smile the last thing that had remained, Johnny Lightfoot vanished from their view and their world.

Sonic exhaled slowly, "Wow."

Shadow said nothing, but his eyes were troubled.

Lancelot calmly re-sheathed his sword. "It is done, my lord," he said, looking at the blue hedgehog who was still blinking, but seemed to have recovered from the sight of a soul passing as the night was now growing cold. "We should leave this place now and draw the Hollows away."

"Right." Sonic nodded, shaking his head again. "Okay. Then let's go!" And with that, revved up and took off, the two black hedgehogs following close behind.

Sonic had no particular destination in mind, he just wanted to avoid populated areas, so he made a beeline towards Hill Top, since that zone had been pretty much abandoned since a volcano eruption years ago. Not one of Sonic's favourites, either, because some of his friends had very nearly perished during that episode. So, no love lost if this place took some damage...

It didn't take them long to run into trouble. Ten miles out, the grass at their feet bowing in their high-speed wake, a troop of Hollows descended on them, the sound of their sharp, unearthly roars the only warning the three hedgehogs got before they were attacked.

The monsters were all of different shapes, some looking humanoid, others formed like birds or bats or dogs, and others who liked like nothing else Sonic had ever seen, and nothing he ever wanted to see again. They seemed to share only two things with each other; the bleach bone masks - and the desperate, ravenous hunger.

Before they could even shout out a battle strategy at each other, the troop had already closed in on Sonic, almost ignoring Lancelot and Shadow - until Lancelot sliced one of their legs off with a single neat slash of his sword, that was. The knight's body had moved in one flawless, well-practiced motion, a fact that Shadow acknowledged with a glare and followed up with a Chaos Spear that struck the creature through the shoulder (and incidentally also only missed Lancelot by inches). Racing forwards even as he threw the first one, the Ultimate Lifeform went into a spin, leaping high above the Hollows, and bouncing off a monster howling at the pain of being struck by a sharp-edged cannonball. High in the air, red eyes glinting like the stars shining above their heads but _much _more lethal, the midnight hedgehog uncurled again, stretched out an arm and then it was raining golden bolts of Chaos energy on the Hollows, deadly starfire falling from the sky, completely destroying one and injuring several others. Blazing skates afterwards also ensured an equally graceful landing, but behind the Hollow Shadow had struck only appeared another, screaming in fury and now charging at the dark hedgehog. In a rare moment of surprise, Shadow's eyes went wide. He wasn't used to enemies' corpses disappearing and enabling their companions to get at you so easily.

Looking up from where he had initially ducked for cover after Shadow's all-out assault, Lancelot immediately saw what was going on. He muttered something that might have been a medieval curse relating to goats, Sonic wasn't sure, but the next words the knight uttered were ringing through the night loud and clear.

"_Chaos punishment_!" Lancelot yelled, and in an eyeblink he was in the Hollow's way, standing in front of Shadow and interrupting its charge as he sent a bolt of pure red energy from the tip of his sword right through the centre of the Hollow's bone mask. The creature stopped stock-still for a moment, then moaned as it dissolved away.

"Aim for the mask," Lancelot said shortly, only halfway turning around to the Ultimate Lifeform who still stood where he had landed. "Destroy the mask and you destroy the Hollow." The knight blinked away in a brief flash of red light.

"I don't need your _help_," Shadow muttered, imbuing the last word with an intonation one would perhaps have used for different nouns, but internally, he was troubled by the display of powers so similar to his own by this double... the entire situation was getting more disturbing by the moment.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, Sonic was rapidly discovering that his situation was extremely perilous as well. None of his attacks seemed to do anything. His every effort was thwarted, no matter how hard or fast he hit the things, he just didn't seem to do any damage and he was rapidly acquiring a host of baseball-sized bruises for his efforts.

Simple observation proved that Shadow's Chaos attacks were working just fine, but without a Chaos Emerald, that option wasn't open to Sonic. His right hand twitched, his fingers curling around something that wasn't there.

"Dammit, this is like Super Smash Brothers when Mario has the stupid star, only-_gah_!" Distracted, Sonic had turned just a moment too late and came face-to-mask with one of the Hollows. The blue hedgehog yelped and backflipped out of the way before one of its huge curved claws came crashing down onto the spot he had been a mere millisecond before.

Sensing his king's peril, Lancelot turned and cried out, "Run wild, Arondight!" a blade-like beam leapt from the edge of his sword, cleaving the Hollow in two.

"Be cautious, my liege!" he yelled, "They strike quickly and with deadly purpose!"

"I noticed that all by myself," Sonic muttered, dodging another appendage, frustration swelling in him as he realised how out-matched he was, an experience he was definitely _not _used to. The hero of Mobius, the planet he was supposed to protect, was now reduced to mere running and helpless dodging, as Shadow and Lancelot took out each one of the Hollows. The only thing he could do was lure them into Shadow's and Lancelot's path, but even then he had to be careful he didn't impale himself on the Ultimate Lifeform's Chaos Spears and...whatever it was Lancelot was doing with his sword.

Sonic finally stopped and watched over his shoulder at the scream of the last monster disintegrating, and the hands of the blue hero were by now clenched into fists. This felt _wrong_ - he wasn't used to having other people fight his battles for him. He turned around and approached his two...well, _knights and bodyguards,_ he thought with stung pride. His expression changed as he actually beheld them, though.

Shadow was almost panting in exhaustion, Sonic hadn't seen the hedgehog look that drained since after Shadow's battle against the Biolizard on the ARK.

"You ok, Shads?" he asked, a bit of worry in his voice despite his best efforts.

Shadow, as expected, waved the question off.

"I'm fine. Using so much Chaos power without an Emerald is tiring, that's all."

"If you're sure, dude," Sonic murmured.

Lancelot was scanning the landscape with the professional eye of someone who has both been hunter and prey before. Then the knight shook his head, there was no cover in the empty scrubland between zones, only a few scattered, spindly trees and bushes. Even the night would not hide them.

"We must find somewhere defensible," he said, turning to Sonic. "My lord, do you know of such a place? Perhaps a hill with a high cliffside? Or some ruined or abandoned place that still has its walls intact?"

Sonic thought about it. "Aquatic Ruin is nearby, its probably the best we've got around here," he said finally, although anyone who knew him would probably have heard the reluctance with which the blue hero uttered the name of any zone bearing any connection to anything maritime whatsoever.

Lancelot nodded. "Then lead on, my lord and I shall surely follow."

Shadow had to resist rolling his eyes as they set off again. This guy was really starting to get on his nerves, but the Ultimate Lifeform's curiosity had also taken hold - he wanted to know what was going on, and sticking around was the only way to get the full story, both on the monsters and on his strange knightly double who could send souls on their way to the dead...

Aquatic Ruin had not changed. It was still a wet, swampy area buzzing with flies and mosquitoes, dotted here and there with the remnants of some ancient civilisation, long since forgotten and Sonic had privately hoped it would stay that way.

They had no time for pondering archaeological curiosities, though. More Hollows were on their trail, their horrific roars echoing off the crumbling stone walls around them.

Lancelot picked a spot on top of a hill, defended from behind by the ruins of an ancient watchtower, and from the sides by a large swampy ditch forming a makeshift moat.

"It is not ideal, but it must suffice, for now," Lancelot said quietly, drawing his sword. Sonic nodded, but also couldn't help but think that a defensible space also meant an _enclosed _space and now he couldn't even run properly, instead hoping to be defended by Shadow and Lancelot, _like a goddamn princess and a friggin tower_.

"They seem to just keep coming," Shadow observed, oblivious to Sonic's frustration, "What's to stop them from just crowding us until we're overwhelmed?"

"There were not that many Hollows in the vicinity, and it takes time for more to manifest in this realm. The battle will be hard and draining, but if we can survive it, we will have time to gather our wits and our forces."

Both midnight hedgehogs' gazes met, the two regarding each other for a long moment, their eyes searching. Shadow was the first to look away.

"Very well," he said simply, taking up a ready stance, one hand held poised to charge a Chaos Spear. Lancelot clanged down his visor, his feet slipping automatically into a classic guard stance, his sword held at ready before him. Sonic on the other hand stood helpless, useless anger at himself and the Hollows boiling inside him, gloved hands clenching and unclenching. There were shapes moving in the swampy mists now, barely distinguishable from the black of the night yet, but it didn't take Sonic's fur rising on his arms and neck for him to know that it was them.

"Why are you sticking around, Shadow?" the blue hedgehog asked, a bit more sharply than he'd intended. "Didn't know you got so worried about me."

The darker hedgehog glanced over his shoulder, his expression a mask of indifference, "I stay for my own reasons, Faker, and I don't have to reveal them to you." The words could have been harsh and cutting, but oddly, they weren't.

Lancelot looked at them both briefly, but with his face hidden beneath his visor, his expression was impossible to judge.

They waited, though not for long. The shapes had been gathering in mass and solidity, the first of them by now recognizable enough under the moonlight as individual amalgamations of deformed bodies behind white, skull-like masks. The defenders of the hills renewed their ready stances, Sonic poised a bit behind the midnight pair, and when the only sound their able to hear for a moment was only their own, tense breathing, the first of the Hollows began to attack.

It was only one of them, and followed by single assailants thereafter, all easily dispatched at distance by Shadow's Chaos Spear or Lancelot's sword release, blinding Chaos light reflected by the bogs of the marsh land on the ground and lighting up the mist trailing over the swamp a ghostly white. But soon, they came in twos and threes, pressing the small group of hedgehogs, further up the hill. Even they fell eventually under cuts of Arondight and Chaos light, but the extended fight was beginning to take its toll.

The air seemed to have taken on an even chillier bite, as it must have been nearing midnight now, _the hour when the realm of the dead is closest, _a childhood memory of spooky stories supplied in Sonic's head helpfully, and the air's sharp, frosty edge cut at their faces and carried with it the stench of decay. The marsh lands were filled with the moans and cries of the hollows as they emerged from the swamps surrounding the ruin, their bleached, soulless faces reminding the blue hero of a certain scene in a fantasy movie he had seen not too long ago, where white corpses had also risen from a swamp in a country called Mordor, trying to pull the outnumbered corpses down into their watery graves. The Hollows were now lumbering up the hill towards their intended prey like the undead, their masked faces locked in a desperate rictus, their eyes empty of anything but rage and hunger.

All three hedgehogs, two black and one blue, stood now back to back, so close their quills almost touched. One of the black ones carried a sword, the silvery moon glinting wanly off the bits of armour he wore. He held his sword with its point professionally low as he swiped at any hollow that got too close. But already his chest was heaving in exhaustion, his sword slowly dipping lower. He blocked another tentacle-like limb that swiped to his left, aiming for the blue hedgehog beside him, grunting with effort as he did so.

"Stop worrying about me, Lancelot!" Sonic yelled as he dodged an attack, "I can take care of myself."

Too tired to reply, Lancelot just frowned and dropped back into guard stance. It was true that Lord Sonic could dodge all the Hollow's attacks... but he had no means of striking back. He had no sword, no magic - _not even anything like the lances of spirit energy my doppelganger is currently throwing around._

_...the show-off. _

A flare of golden energy shot out at that towards the besieging army of Hollows, obliterating two and injuring three more. Lancelot risked a glance of his shoulder to see that Shadow was almost on one knee, panting with exertion.

"We need to get out of here," Shadow said when he had regained his breath, his voice low and urgent, "I can't keep this up much longer."

"What do you suggest?" Lancelot growled, casting a glare at his double, "There is no avenue of escape. I am too weary even to Flash Step, and you have all but admitted that you feel the same weariness as I."

Shadow scowled, knowing the knight was correct. He turned to the blue hedgehog, something close to desperation in his garnet eyes. Sonic's chaos powers were not as strong as his own...but perhaps together they could contrive enough power and focus to escape.

"Sonic?"

Sonic failed to reply. His eyes were closed, he seemed almost asleep, save for standing up. Shadow bared his teeth, gripping his arm and shaking him violently. "Sonic!" The blue hedgehog still didn't respond.

Somewhere else, Sonic, meanwhile, had suddenly and inexplicably found himself laying on soft, fragrant grass, white clouds scudding by overhead. Blinking in astonishment, he looked up to see the elegant chequered loops and towering palm trees of Green Hill zone looming over him. His confusion felt strangely muted - there was a vague sense that this wasn't quite right, that he really ought to be somewhere else, but it seemed very far away.

Even so, he couldn't help but notice that this wasn't quite like the zone he had known from his youth. All the edges felt a bit too crisp, the colours too bright and vivid - like the place was using a 512 colour palette - it made the place feel strangely _too_ real, like a fake place that was trying too hard. Sonic frowned, feeling that something else wasn't right - that something was missing. He was still attempting to quantify that sense of wrongness when he heard something.

The hero of Mobius stood up quickly and saw someone slowly walking up the main road through the zone. It was a human, dressed in archaic armour of a style more ancient than even Lancelot wore. He didn't wear a helmet or visor, so his face, lined with age, had been bared to the elements. But he wore his years well, his expression one of quiet determination. His long grey hair was bound back, but several of the salt-and-pepper strands had escaped to blow around his face in the breeze.

As he got closer, Sonic could see that though the armour was clearly well-made, it was dented and scuffed here and there, showing signs of use and age. Finally, the armoured warrior stopped before Sonic, looking into his eyes without saying anything. The blue-furred hedgehog gazed up into the slightly battered face in turn, for some reason feeling neither the urge to run nor to feel suspicious, just holding the gaze of the crystal-blue eyes that hinted at an age beyond measurement and something more, like..._wisdom?_

The warrior drew his sword. Sonic still didn't flinch or move in the slightest as its tip glinted in the sun for a moment before the knight plunged it into the earth, kneeling down and bowing his head as he did so.

"As always, I am eternally at your service, my liege," the warrior said in a familiar voice. And Sonic finally understood.

The hero of Mobius and Saviour of Camelot smiled and reached down for his sword.

...In the real world, Sonic's eyes snapped open, their green depths suddenly alive with understanding and purpose.

"Arise, CALIBURN!" the newly awakened hedgehog yelled, his two comrades who had futilely been trying to wake him up both stumbling backwards for a step. There was a brief, subdued glint of light and then Sonic's hand was once again filled with the Legendary Sword, Caliburn.

The rightful sword of King Arthur, _Excalibur_'s sealed form.

Before either Shadow or Lancelot could react, Sonic had already turned to look at the assembled Hollows, challenge in his gaze, his grin just this side of vicious.

"Now, let me show you _what I'm made of_!"

_To be continued.._

Author's notes: I aten't dead. Sorry for the long absence, folks. My new job has been kicking my ass. Hope to have more stuff soon, though! Thanks for staying with me. You guys are all awesome. Hugs to all.


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